"The warmth you felt is the aether. While Azure's soul is shrouded, the energy is still being produced." Aqua grabbed both of their hands and closed her eyes. "You must now make that warmth yours."
Two girls nodded as Aqua guided them. It was difficult to control aether for the first time, but much like she had an amazing teacher who was Sun God, so would the two girls have a teacher who would guide them.
"Visualize that warmth, visualize it as a string or a rope and then grab it!" Aqua smiled as she observed their progress. These two are prodigies…
While Azure was struggling a little bit, she was still faster than many, and Sheira was as fast as she was when she first learned to control Aether. It filled her heart with warmth and some sense of nostalgia.
Sheira squinted. "It's easier said than done. It keeps phasing through my hand."
"It is because you think of it as a physical object." Aqua pushed her thumb into Sheira's palm. "Form a lasso in your mind and wrap it around the string. Same to you, Azure. It might be hard, but I am here." Aqua would not leave them alone at any step; they needed her, and so she would guide their minds and souls.
"I… Can't it hurts…" Azure clutched her head as intense pain invaded her. Aqua grabbed her hand and channeled even more of her power into Azure. She needed to trim down her blessing once again.
"Azure, it is because of your blessing, I will trim it down. Grit your teeth, this will hurt a little." Azure nodded as she was overwhelmed by the heat. "AGH!" She screamed as Aqua gripped her hand tightly.
Her green patch receded but did not disappear completely. Divine blessings on someone who never used aether would be a massive crutch that would hamper their ability to develop their own power in the long run.
Her crimson flames burned away the so-called blessing rapidly until a mere speck remained. While it would spread once again, Azure would be able to grasp the concept of Aether conversion before then.
Although she could completely remove the blessing, it would provoke unknown gods. It was overall a bad idea.
Leaving this cancer in the poor girl doesn't make me happy.
While she wouldn't extract the cancer fully, she would keep it at a level that wouldn't bother Azure. Of course, it would weaken her Argus form, but it did not matter. Aqua had no plans of letting Azure get into anything that might require her to use such a form.
She smiled.
Slowly, nothing but a mere speck of the blessing remained, Azure's skin returned to normal, and her sclera regained its whiteness. However, she would regain those traits very soon. She stared down at Azure, who was drenched in sweat and crumpled on the floor.
"Are you alright?" Aqua tilted her head. Azure breathed heavily, her chest moved up and down as she gasped for air.
"That hurt!" She shouted from the floor. However, she had no anger on her face, merely acceptance. She touched her face, then dragged her fingers gently.
"The rough skin is gone?!"
"Yes, that skin and colored sclera are merely a side effect of your 'Blessing'. Once the blessing is trimmed down, it will subside." Aqua pulled her up with a quick tug. "You should be able to visualize it now. Please try it." Azure nodded as she squinted her eyes.
"Thank you… I thought I would be ugly forever." A single tear rolled down Azure's face. If she had that ugly, patchy skin forever, nobody would like her, and what's worse, Aqua would probably not enjoy her presence as much.
"What do you mean? I never considered you ugly. Even with the green skin, I know you tried to hide it, but don't worry, it does not diminish your beauty at all." Aqua's words made Azure's ears slump down and turn red as she blushed.
"Stop flirting, you two! What do I do when I catch the string!" Sheira demanded.
Smack
Azure's hand found its way to the back of Sheira's head. "Ouch! Well, I guess I deserved it. Now, please, Lady Aqua. What is next?"
"Now pull it toward yourself and imagine unravelling it. You must split the aether so that it can release mana, which you can use for casting. Some spells require pure Aether, but most need mana."
"Only the Black Flame uses pure Aether… everything else requires mana. I will not teach you how to harness the black fire as it is too dangerous." Aqua tightened her grip on their hands.
Sheira looked at her with confusion before smirking, "It's fine, Mommy. I know you have your own reasons. Isn't that right, Azure?~" She winked at the champion, to which she merely nodded.
They are not even gonna question me?
Aqua questioned herself as she guided the girls. Her flame guided their minds towards the string and the seams between them. Her lips formed a thin smile. "Now imagine yourself pulling the Aether apart."
Aqua let go of their hands; this part needed to be done by them alone. The most difficult area was the sensing of one's soul and the splitting. While she could guide and show them how to sense the soul, she could not force their hand at unravelling the Aether.
Sheira grasped the string in her mind, and soon she pulled it. Yet it did not unravel. "It is not working." Her expression soured as she was unable to unravel the string at her first try.
"It's only your first try, go again." Aqua placed her hand on Sheira's head and gently patted her.
Sheira nodded as she picked the string once again, her hands weaved around before she wrapped her imaginary fingers. She then pulled and failed again. This process was repeated multiple times before she attempted to do it in a different way.
Instead of brute forcing the unraveling, she gently grasped each end, and much like one would unravel a rope, she followed the knot and applied force at its top. Unlike previous failures, the string exploded into a kaleidoscope of color.
She almost got blinded before it suddenly subsided. "Careful, Sheira, only unravel parts of it. If you do a whole string, it could cause you to explode, especially you as a fledgling goddess."
"I would have appreciated the warning before it exploded in my mind! Thanks for saving my butt, tho." Sheira pouted as she opened her eyes.
"Frankly, I did not expect you to do it so quickly." Aqua awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.
"Heh! So you want to say I am the smartest princess you ever met!" Sheira grinned as she wrapped her hands around Aqua. Azure gave them side-eye as she continued trying to unravel the string.
"You are indeed a prodigy, but don't let it get into your head. You still need to learn how to shape the mana you created. Now then." She turned to Azure, who visibly struggled. After a moment, she sighed. "I can't do it! It's like I am trying to grip a piece of water!"
Aqua let go of Sheira and turned to Azure. She put her hands onto Azure's and lifted them up. "This is the hard part, Sheira over there is an Anomaly." Her gaze wandered to Sheira, who grinned with a smug expression befitting a queen.
Azure nodded, "If you say so."
Azure sighed as she turned to the side and muttered under her breath. "I want you to call me a prodigy too…"
She found a soft hand cupping her chin, "Azure, you are doing better than almost everyone. You ARE a prodigy. Sheira might be slightly faster, but you will be able to create mana soon. Once you are able, I will teach you some useful spells."
"However, that will have to wait. You need to master this ability to such an extent that it becomes subconscious. But once you are able to do it, you only need to tell me what you want to do, and I will teach you."
Aqua placed her hands on her hips as she turned to Sheira, "I want you to practice this as much as you can while we travel. I will now give special attention to Azure."
The princess tilted her head before she covered her mouth and giggled, "Ah, yes, Special attention, like making out. I will practice, take good care of my Azure; she is gentle despite being a hardened warrior." With a wink, she turned her back on the pair and walked away towards the railing.
Azure looked as if she wished to bury herself as she grabbed herself by the top of the head. She desperately attempted to hide her red ears and face. It took her a moment to gather herself as she lifted her gaze up to meet Aqua's.
"Are you sure you aren't merely pitying me?"
Aqua tilted her head in confusion. "Why would I? You are a capable woman."
"Sheira was able to grasp this so quickly… and then I am here just struggling. Is it because I am a warrior?" Her ears slumped down.
"Azure, not everyone will grasp everything at the same pace. Some students will take more time to grasp one thing, while the one who did the basics faster may struggle with more intricate and advanced areas. Do not feel bad, I promise, you will learn how to create mana by the end of this trip. Your profession does not lock you out of learning."
Azure cracked a smile as she averted her gaze, "Thanks… I will make you proud!"